3月16日午间英语新闻：罕见画面曝光！野生大熊猫谈恋爱被偷拍

Meeting lives from history 
古代人的生活是什么样的？

When referring to history, some big events or historic figures may pop into our minds. That’s also what many historical dramas are showing us. Yet, a recent Chinese drama – Under the Microscope, which aired on iQIYI – turns to the lives of ordinary people during the Ming Dynasty.
一提到历史，我们脑海中就会浮现出一些重大事件或历史人物，这也是我们在许多历史剧里看到的内容。然而，最近在爱奇艺平台播出的国产电视剧《显微镜下的大明》，便讲述了明代普通人的生活。

The drama opens with the story of a young man called Shuai Jiamo helping measure the land for a farming family, only to find the calculation result is different from what’s recorded on the land deed. This “small event” lays the groundwork for the silk tax case later and introduces the problem of tax injustice in that era. Following Shuai and his friends’ fight to solve the problem, Under the Microscope gradually presents viewers with a realistic and vivid picture of the lives of ordinary civilians living at the bottom of society.
该剧一开场，一个名叫帅家默的年轻人帮助一家村民丈量田地，却发现计算得出的田亩数与地契上的数字不符。这桩“小事”为后来的丝绢案埋下伏笔，最终揭露出当时社会税收不公的问题。《显微镜下的大明》讲述了帅家默和朋友们为拨乱反正而努力的故事，逐渐向观众展现了一幅现实而生动的平民生活画卷。

Many details in the drama also help viewers get closer to ancient lives. For example, it shows people cutting silver to give change and carrying certificates for travel. It also shows the customs that ordinary enjoyed, such as “datiehua” or molten iron fireworks and dragon dances.
剧中的许多细节也让观众更加贴近古代生活。例如，该剧拍出了明代人会“剪银子”找零，出行还要携带文书证件。剧里还展示了普通百姓喜欢的风俗，如打铁花或舞龙。

The drama was adapted from the book with the same name by Ma Boyong. “Only learning the situation of ordinary people can help us gain a better understanding of each order and law from the government and then the changes in history,” Ma wrote in the book.
该剧改编自马伯庸的同名小说，他在书中写道:“只有了解普通人的生活，才能更好地理解朝廷颁布的政令和律法，从而理解背后的历史变迁。”

History, in fact, is a collection of people’s stories. Though some people are brought into the spotlight for different reasons, it’s never a reason to ignore the stories of the “little” people. After all, they are the main part of history and the most direct thrust to influence the course of history. 
历史，其实就是人的故事的总合。虽然有些人出于不同的原因成为了焦点，但绝不能以此为借口，不把“小人物”当成一回事。毕竟，普罗大众才是历史的主要组成部分，也是影响历史进程的最直接推送力。

重点词汇
1、molten iron fireworks （datiehua）
打铁花或铁水烟火

Wild male giant panda ‘dates' female panda in SW China's Sichuan 
罕见画面曝光！野生大熊猫“谈恋爱”被“偷拍”……

Two adult giant pandas were found "dating" in a tree in side Tangjiahe National Nature Reserve at China's Giant Panda National Park in Southwest China's Sichuan province on March 3. The courtship scene was spotted by Ma Wenhu, who works at the park.
3月3日，四川省广元市青川县境内的大熊猫国家公园唐家河片区的工作人员马文虎发现并拍摄到一对野生大熊猫“谈恋爱”的场面。

While passing an area of Motianling mountain, which lies at the junction of Sichuan province, Northwest China's Shaanxi province and Gansu province, the team saw a white figure in a tree not far away. And Ma, who has patrolled extensively throughout the nature reserve, immediately concluded that what he saw was a giant panda.
一行人在途经位于四川、陕西和甘肃交界处的唐家河摩天岭将军寨区域时，突然发现远处的树梢上有一团白色身影。野外经验十分丰富的马文虎立马判断，这是一只野生大熊猫。

A TV crew took the rare chance and quickly started to capture the giant panda on film. As the camera zoomed in on the white figure, members of the team saw that it was indeed a giant panda, who was lounging on a branch in the sun.
面对来之不易的机会，大家快速拿起手中的相机悄悄地进行拍摄。当镜头逐步拉近，这团白色身影果然是一只野生大熊猫。大熊猫懒洋洋地睡在树枝上晒着太阳，十分惬意。

After a while, another giant panda appeared on the scene. It climbed up the tree to the giant panda. And as it neared the giant panda in the tree, it frequently rubbed its buttocks against the trunk of the tree.
拍摄过程中，众人又有了新发现，另外一只野生大熊猫从树下一步一步向树上的大熊猫爬去，临近时，它不断用自己的臀部磨蹭着树干，让树干摇晃起来而想引起对方的注意。

The giant panda was smearing odor using its perianal glands, according to an expert, who explained that the giant panda that was first spotted enjoying the sunshine in the tree was a female and that the one who climbed up the tree later was a male. Such scenes are closely related to the arrival of the mating season for giant pandas, the expert said.
据专家解释，这是大熊猫在利用肛周腺涂抹气味的行为，不难看出，树上左边的是只雄性大熊猫，树上右边的是只雌性大熊猫，这样的场景与大熊猫交配季节到来有着十分密切的关系。

Located in Qingchuan county, in Guangyuan city of Sichuan, Tangjiahe National Nature Reserve is an important distribution area of giant pandas. Wild giant pandas have been captured on camera in areas around Motianling mountain in the nature reserve for eight consecutive years.  
据悉，大熊猫国家公园唐家河片区位于四川省广元市青川县，是大熊猫重要的分布区域。截至目前，已经连续8年在摩天岭区域拍摄到野生大熊猫。

重点词汇
1、buttock
英/ ˈbʌtək /  美/ ˈbʌtək /
n. 半边臀部；船尾
vt. 用腰摔

2、smear
英/ smɪə(r) /  美/ smɪr /
v. 涂抹，涂上；诽谤，诋毁；弄脏，弄污；蹭花，变模糊
n. 污点，污渍；诽谤，诋毁；子宫颈抹片检查；（显微镜）涂片；（登山）不稳立足处

3、perianal
英/ perɪˈeɪnəl /  美/ perɪˈeɪnəl /
adj. 肛周的

4、gland
英/ ɡlænd /  美/ ɡlænd /
n. 腺；密封套

5、 mating season
交配季节；繁殖季节